


All we do is drive (and I was singing)

by Mouthfullawhitelies



Series: The BADLANDS [1]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Angst, Badlands, F/F, Halsey songs if I continue this, Room 93, based on a halsey song, drive, shot my heart out writing this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-05
Updated: 2015-11-05
Packaged: 2018-04-30 02:40:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5147270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mouthfullawhitelies/pseuds/Mouthfullawhitelies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What if we just run away together?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	All we do is drive (and I was singing)

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the song 'Drive' -Halsey  
> Please listen to this song while reading. (Or just try it in the future).

 

_-Before Samaritan-_

 

 _“What if we just run away together?” Root asked out of nowhere._ _Shaw looked at her confused, then scoffed and continued cleaning her guns._

_“Right now. What if we just left everything behind? Runaway and restart. Together.”_

 

* * *

 

_-Present Time-_

 

Shaw woke up and she felt restraints on her hands and feet. Her neck stung, her head pounding like a drum. A memory stirs for the exact same thing happened years ago. Root. She got tased. She was in a car, the passenger’s seat. She could hear the engine humming.

 

“What is this.” Shaw demanded, her voice dripping with sleep.

Root didn’t answer, instead she looked dead ahead on the road. Her expression blank.

“Root.” Sam gritted out. She saw Bear splayed out on the back seat.

“Where are we going?” She asked. Root was dead silent.

“Root, I swear to god, these zip ties means nothing to me. I can get out in seconds. And I will stop this car if I want to. But I don’t want to, because I trust you. So where are we going?”

 

 

     

           _“My hands, wrapped wound the stick shift,_

_swerving on the 405.”_

 

“Nowhere.” She stated simply, which earned her a death glare from Shaw.

“Root.”

“We’re leaving. I don’t know where. But we’re going away.”

“Root… we talked about this.” They did.  “We can’t just run away. What about the Machine? What about Finch and Reese? Just because Samaritan is gone, doesn’t mean we are done. It doesn't mean we're safe.”

 

Root fell silent, her knuckles stark white as they gripped the wheels tighter. She stared intently on the road, refusing to meet Sameen’s eyes.

 

“We can, and we will. I just want a do-over. I want a restart with you.”

 

“So you tased and drugged me against my own will? You know what this reminds me of.” Shaw smirked.

 

Root’s gaze wavered. She didn’t expect Sam to make a light joke. She expected barks and bites. She expected fire. She tried to bite back a smile. For a second there the air around them has lightened.

 

_“I can never keep my eyes, off this.”_

 

“What about the Machine?” Shaw whispered softly, after a while.

 

Root then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a cotton bandage that enveloped the back of her ear, where her cochlear should be. Where the machine would whisper deadly commands at her.

 

“You took it out...” Shaw gaped. Not sure if she should be worried or relieved.

 

“She’s gone, Shaw. It’s just you and me.” For the first time during the ride, she looked at her and smiled, just faintly. A soft, sad smile, full of hope that made Shaw’s stomach churn.

 

“You removed the implant. You... disconnected yourself, from the Machine. From... your god.”

 

“I disconnected us, Shaw.”

 

    _“It's so simple, but we can't stay_

_Overanalyze again.”_

 

To her surprise Sameen’s protest was over. That was that. She didn't fight back as much Root thought she would. Maybe she wanted to runaway together too, or maybe she knew that this little ‘adventure’ of theirs wouldn’t last. Or maybe, sometimes she’d let her mind wander, and dream that Sam did care enough to love her.

   

She looked over, to see Sameen resting her head on the window, staring blankly out the window, quiet. She looked peaceful, almost innocent. _Almost._

 

_“Would it really kill you if we kissed?”_

 

Silence filled the car. It was deafening. Even with her bad ear, she could hear everything. From Sameen’s breathing and Bear’s snoring, to her own fast heartbeat. It spoke of all the blurred feelings between them. Too many personal and uncomfortable conversations that she brought up and the mission interrupted. To be honest, even she was afraid of them. The silence screamed all her overwhelming feelings for Shaw, that used to be hidden behind her innuendoes and the excuses of her relevant numbers.

 

    _“All we do is think about the feelings that we hide.”_

 

The silence created an unsettling aura between them. But the silence was exactly what they needed. The silence held back time, and it just gave her a moment where it was just her and Shaw. Where Shaw belonged to her, and nothing else mattered. Where the world outside of this silence has stopped, and it was just her and Shaw.

 

_"All we do is sit in silence, waiting for the signs.”_

 

Maybe there was another life where Hannah didn’t die and Root was still Samantha Groves. Or one where, Root and Shaw met, not through the Mission, but naturally, by fate and they’d fall in love and start a family together. Maybe there was a universe where none of them existed, and Root would have never met Sameen, and never could’ve fallen for her. It probably would have been best. Maybe there was a world where Sameen would have loved her back. Maybe.

 

           _“Sick and full of pride.”_

 

“I love you, Sameen.” Root whispered softly, out of nowhere. It was barely audible, but enough for Shaw to hear.

“Root.” Sameen warned, for what sounded to be like the hundredth time.

“I know. You can’t say it back and I don’t want you to. I don’t need to hear it.”

 

    _“All we do is drive”_

 

She didn’t. She doesn’t care if Sameen didn’t love her back. It doesn’t matter. She just wanted, no needed Sameen to know. For her to know so that she won’t pull a stunt like she did.

 

"I love you" was insurance, for both her and Sameen. If she died, she’ll die knowing that Sameen knew. If Sameen died, she’ll die knowing that Root loved her. It was the message that she never got to send in person, because she was the one who was suppose to go, not Sameen. It was never supposed to be Sameen.

 

Before it’s too late, tears started to escape her eyes.

 

“Root,” Shaw sighed. “Remember Tomas?”

 

Root bit her bottom lip, sniffled, her eyes glassy. Inhaled deeply, seemingly calming herself, and nodded. She did remember Tomas, the man who tried but failed to take Shaw away from her.

 

“He offered me a pretty hard sell to get me to come with him to Barcelona, and for a hot second I almost did. Just one thought away from living the luxurious life. But I didn’t, remember why?”

 

“You told me, that there were things you cared about here.” She remembered.

 

“Yes, and one of those things were you. You were the one who held me back, you made me stay. I cared enough to stay, to make sure you won’t go doing stupid things for the Machine, or cry over dumb things. When I first met you, I honestly didn’t know you were gonna be this important to me, I care for you Root, and if you think about it I could’ve left with Tomas. But I didn’t, I stayed, and now I’m leaving with you, to… wherever.”

 

It’s true, she did stay. If she hadn’t then she’d never even be here with Root. But then, if she did leave, she never wouldn’t have been captured by Samaritan. She never would’ve-- she would’ve been safe. Tomas would’ve taken her to a safe place, without the Machine or Samaritan, and away from her. It would’ve broken her heart, but it was better than now, now she can’t even afford to lose Sameen out her eyesight without having the uneasy feeling roaming in her stomach.

 

 

“You chose me, then?” Uncertainty still lingered within her.

 

“I chose you. And I’ll choose you, over and over again. Without a pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat. I’ll keep choosing you, Root.”

 

She didn’t know how much she needed to hear that, not until it was said. Her smile grew in a way where it was sincere. She didn’t know if her ears were lying to her, if somehow the Machine sneaked back into her cochlear and reassured lies to her like she used to. Her grip on the wheels loosened, and she relaxed. Her heart unclenched as her smile grew brighter when she realized of the tenth time now, what Shaw had just said to her. She looked over to see Sam, blushing furiously, as she just realized what she had just blurted out. She tucked her knees up and scooted impossibly closer to the door, refusing to meet Root’s adoring eyes.

 

“Just drive,” Shaw mumbled quietly, tucking her chin on her knees.

 

So in silence, she drove. _Away, away, away_. Trying to get Shaw away from the Machine as far as possible.

 

She kept driving, even though she knew they will never escape from the Machine. Even though, she knew that this ‘escape’ plan of hers wouldn’t last, that there was bound to be an end to the road. She didn’t care, because she had Sameen. She didn’t care, and she drove, because she knew that there is not a single universe out there where she wouldn’t try. For Sameen, she would do anything. Literally. She’d put her first over anything, even her god. For Sameen, she would even want to stop time, just to try to live that one moment with her. If it was with Sameen it didn’t matter what she was doing, she didn’t care. Even if there was no place for her to go or no more roads for her to follow, as long as it was with Sameen, she would want to drive on forever.

 

  
    _“Until I had you on the open road, and I was singing ~~ ”_

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments down below please! Do you like it? Do you hate it? Lemme know ur thoughts :)


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